I have been working on this story for the last six years, and now, due to health issues, I will not finish it, so I have decided to post it unfinished. The title is not set in stone.
By kiki
Chapter One
Babyface Andy Madrid couldn't wait to get out of his six-grade class at Brooklyn Elementary School so that he and his best friend and classmate, Gil Garcia, could jump on the streetcar to go to the Teamsters Gym on Stanford St. in downtown Los Angeles, where they were learning how to box. Boxing trainer Art Chavez had taken both boys under his wing.
Andy and Gil had started school together in 1938, although they were from different East Los Angeles barrios. Andy from Arizona Maravilla and Gil from Kern Maravilla had become best friends.
Andy and Gil jumped on the streetcar when they were out of school.
"Andy, are you going to spar today?" Gil asked Andy as they were riding the streetcar.
"Don't know, I'll see what Art wants to do. But I want to spar. You know we have the Junior Golden Gloves coming up in a couple of months, and it's been over two months since we had a fight," answered Andy.
The boys got off the streetcar at the corner of 7th St. and Stanford St. They walked one block south on Stanford to the gym; as they walked in, the gym's doorman, Joe Kelly, looked up at them from his game of solitaire:
"Boys, Art wants you to prepare to spar a few rounds. Louie Cruz will have a smoker here on Friday, and you might be fighting. Art will be back in a few minutes; he just went to the store to buy me a beer," said Joe Kelly as he went back to his game of solitaire
"Art, who are we sparring with?" asked Gil just as Johnny Navarro from the YMCA walked in with some of his boxers.
"Looks like we are in for some good sparring, Gil," said Andy.
"Good, because we need it," counter Gil
"Now, boys, I want you to box and not slug with these guys. I want you to work on your jab and sharpen your boxing skills. In this game, sluggers don't last; they have a short career, and boxers last longer; just look at my son Carlos, who has been a pro for over eight years and is still going strong. By the way, he is fighting the main event at the Olympic Auditorium in two weeks against Mario Diaz," Art Chavez said to his two protégés.
The sparring went well for the boys. And this been only Monday; they thought they would be ready for Louie Cruz's smoker on Friday.
On Friday night, Andy arrived at the Teamsters Gym for the smokers with some older guys from the Arizona Maravilla barrio. Then, he went downstairs to the dressing rooms, where Gil awaited him.
"Andy, I am not trying to tell you what to do, but you shouldn't hang around with those guys. They are sixteen, seventeen, and you are only twelve; they'll get you in trouble."
"Don't worry, Gil, I'll be alright; I don't do some of the things they do. Summer is coming, and they said they would take me to the beach with them."
Andy fought a guy from the Simons Brickyard Boxing Club and easily won by a second-round T.K.O. As he left the ring, a fan yelled to Art Chavez: "Art, you have a real prodigy there; take care of him, and he'll be a champion."
Gil had a more challenging time winning a three-round decision from his opponent from the Stanton A.C.
Chapter Two
By summer, Andy was getting to be quite a boxer, fighting older opponents and beating all of them. But he was also spending lots of time with the older guys who were drinking and doing drugs. Andy was drinking some but not doing drugs, and the older guys kept trying to get him to do so.
Andy and Gil won the Junior Golden Gloves in different weight classes at the Hollywood Legion Stadium in early summer.
With the Junior Golden Gloves out of the way, Andy stopped going to the gym and started drinking more and more. On his thirteen's birthday in July, Andy was invited to go to the beach by one of the older guys, but with one condition, Manuel said.
"What do I have to do?" asked Andy
"You have to take a shot of this," replied Manuel
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, if you want to go to the beach with us."
Andy thought, 'What the hell, I can do it just once; I don't have to do it again, and I do want to go to the beach.'
Andy closed his eyes as Manuel stuck the needle in his arm. The heroin soon had Andy feeling like he was on cloud nine. On the beach, the guys kept asking Andy if he thought good: "How do you feel, Andy? Asked Rudy Lopez
"Man, I feel like I am walking on the clouds, this is better than drinking!" replied Andy
Andy thought that though this was the best he had ever felt, he was not sure he wanted to do heroin again, as he had seen some of the older guys from Arizona Maravilla go to jail for using drugs, and just last year, Albert Ruiz had died from an overdose. He sure didn't want to wind up in jail or dead from an overdose. He also had his boxing to think about. Andy wanted to make money in boxing so his mom, Lupe, didn't have to work cleaning the Southern Pacific Railroad cars into her late years.
The end of summer came without Andy going to the beach again but, he couldn't get the feeling he felt from the heroin out of his mind but; he couldn't get himself to go looking for Manuel either.
Chapter Three
Andy was sitting down having breakfast on this first day of the school year. He would be starting Belvedere Junior High and wanted to look his best since he would meet many new girls.
"Mom, be sure to iron my pants and shirt how I like them, okay?" Andy, always the sharp dresser, said to his mom, Lupe
"Si Mijo, I will iron your clothes just how you like them; you must look good for the new girls you will meet, right? By the way, Gil Garcia called while you were out; he said he would meet you at school and wanted to know when you would return to the gym."
Andy and Gil, who hadn't seen much of each other during the summer, got together at school and soon talked about the good-looking girls at their new school and returning to the Teamsters Gym.
I'll get over this first week of school before I return to the gym; how about you? Andy said to Gil.
"Think I'll do the same. By the way, are you going to the dance on Friday night?
"At Our Lady Of Lourdes? Yes, I met one girl, Sally Torres, over the summer, and I hope to see her there. You have a girl yet, Gil?
"No, not yet, but maybe I'll meet one at the dance," answered Gil
Andy and Gil arrived by bus at Our Lady Of Lourdes Church on Fourth St. in Boyle Heights dressed to the nines; as they were walking up the stairs to the dance hall, they could hear the Armenta Brothers playing 'Because of You' Andy also spotted Manuel Castillo talking to some guys. Before Manuel could see him, Andy approached him and said: "Hi Manuel, I didn't know you were going to be here."
"Andy, it's great to see you looking sharp, dude. Haven't seen much of you since we went to the beach; where have you been keeping yourself?"
"Been around, just taking it easy," Andy asked Manuel in a hushed tone, "You have anything for me?" Andy couldn't believe what he had just said, but before he could say anything else Manuel answered him: "My little baby face friend wants some 'H'? "Step outside with me, and I'll fix you up."
For example, in his first pop, Andy just closed his eyes to the needle; in a minute or so, Andy stood with half-closed eyelids, rocking to the music inside the dance hall.
Andy went inside the hall looking for Sally Torres, the girl he had met during the summer. He found her talking to some girls just as the Armenta Brothers started playing 'We Belong Together.' Andy asked Sally to dance, and she accepted. As they were walking to the middle of the dance floor, Andy spotted Gil slow-dancing with a beautiful girl. Andy took Sally in his arms and started slowly dancing but was having trouble keeping his balance.
"What's wrong Andy, are you feeling sick?" asked Sally
"No, I'm feeling great, let's dance."
They danced every song together till it was time to end the night. Andy then walked Sally to her mom's car, where she was waiting for her.
"Will I see you again?" Andy asked Sally
"Yes, but it won't be in school as I am going to Stevenson Junior High, and you are going to Belvedere Junior High, but we'll see each other around town," Sally answered Andy.
Andy looked for Gil and found him saying good night to the beautiful girl he met as she got into her mom's car.
Andy and Gil started walking to the bus stop a block away. A police car pulled over, and two cops stepped out of the black and white.
"Where are you two boys coming from, and where are you going? You know it's kind of later for underage boys to be out on the streets. You, how old are you, nine?" one cop asked as he pointed to Andy.
"I am thirteen years old, sir," replied Andy
"Sir, we just left the church dance, and we are walking to catch the bus at the end of the block," said Gil
"You come with me," one cop told Gil, "and you go with my partner," he said to Andy.
The cops had the boys roll their shirt sleeves.
"My guy is clean; how is yours?" the cop with Gil said to his partner.
"My guy has a needle mark, and he is rocking on his heels, I think we have a junkie here. We need to take him to the juvenile hall."
Andy was cuffed and put in the back of the black and white to be driven to juvenile hall, and Gil was allowed to wait for the bus.
Chapter Four
A week later, on Monday morning, Andy was taken in front of Los Angeles County Juvenile Hearing Judge Ernest J. Adams after visiting with his mother.
Judge Adams addressed Andy: "Andy Madrid, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way, son, is for you to take responsibility and admit that you were on drugs, or you can deny you were, and we'll be back here again in a week or two; it's up to you which road you're going to travel."
Andy conversed with his mother and a family friend, Bill Voigt, who, though not a lawyer, was well-versed in juvenile law.
"Andy, I talked to the juvenile officials, and they told me that if you take responsibility, you will do no more than two years in a juvenile camp, most likely up in Preston. That's in Northern California," said Bill Voigt
"Mijo, the officials also said that if you denied using drugs and are found to have, in fact, used drugs in later juvenile court proceedings, you will be kept in a juvenile camp till you turn eighteen," Andy's mom, Lupe, said to him.
"Mom, Bill, I will admit to having used heroin, but I will not say who I got it from; if they agree to that, we can get it over with today," said Andy, sounding older than his thirteen years.
Bill Voigt presented the deal to the juvenile officials, who accepted it and gave it to Judge Adams. Once it was approved by Judge Adams, Andy was sentenced to two years in the California Youth Authority Juvenile Camp at Preston, California.
Chapter Five
The following Monday, Andy and some other youths traveled north on California Highway 101 on a county bus. After twelve hours of travel, the bus arrived at the youth camp in Preston, California. Upon arrival at the camp, the boys were marched off the bus and lined up to be addressed by a camp guard:
"Boys, this camp will be your home for the foreseeable future. How easy or hard you make your time here with us is up to you. We can be easy to get along with if you work with us, or we can be son-of-bitches, it's all up to you."
'Well, sir, I am going make it easy for you and me, especially if you have a boxing program,' thought Andy
Andy, housed in a cabin with three other boys, quickly fell into a daily breakfast routine at seven in the morning, followed by four hours of school and four hours of cleaning bush around the camp. Dinner was at six, and lights-outs at ten. The camp did have a boxing program, run by two ex-pro fighters, Rudy Savala and Steve Thompson, that Andy could join after he had been in camp for three months. Two of Andy's cabin mates, Ruben Campos and Allen Shaw, were already in the boxing program; the other boy, Jerry Roberts, was taking music lessons. He wanted to become a jazz musician.
Andy wrote letters to his mom and Gil Garcia during the next three months. He would tell his mom not to worry about him, that he was doing fine, but he knew that he, being his mom's only child, worried about him. He, too, worried about his mom, about her working those long nights cleaning the railroad cars. He promised himself that once he was back home and he turned eighteen, he would start his professional boxing career and make enough money so that she could quit her job. To Gil, he would ask about his boxing and his now-girlfriend, Emily Ponce, the girl Gil met at the dance the night he got busted; Gil would only say in his answers that they were seeing each other.
There were nights when he couldn't sleep; on those nights, he would lay in bed and think about his father, whose name he couldn't get himself to utter, the man who abandoned him and his mom when he was only five months old. He wondered where he was and what he was doing. But every time he thought about his father, the thoughts always ended the same way 'fuck you old man.'
Andy walked into the boxing gym the first day he was allowed to. The gym was housed in what used to be a barn.
"So you want to box?" asked Coach Thompson when Andy walked in
"Yes," replied Andy
"How much do you weigh?"
"About one hundred and five pounds, and I would like to get in the ring now," answered Andy
"You just walk into the gym and say you want to spar, just like that, huh? You're going to get your ass kicked with that attitude, son."
"Coach Savala, can you get one of your boys ready to teach this kid a lesson?" Coach Thompson yelled at Coach Savala, who was at the other end of the gym
"Yes, I'll get Eddie Davis ready; he is about ten pounds bigger, though," said Coach Savala
Andy hadn't been in the ring since early summer when he won the Junior Golden Gloves, but he felt good; he thought it must be the clean air he had been breathing the last three months.
Eddie Davis popped Andy right off with a good right cross. 'Okay, let's see if you can take it.' Andy nailed Eddie with a beautiful jab and a hook of the jab followed by a short right hand, and Eddie went down
"Okay, that's enough!" yelled Coach Thompson
"I see that you have boxed before. What's your name, kid?" asked Coach Thompson.
"My name is Andy Madrid, and I would like to join your boxing program," answered Andy
"Okay, Andy, you are on the team. Next month, we will be boxing the boys from the camp up in Clear Lake; we can use you on our team. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, I'll be ready to fight in a month," Eddie said
When Andy told Coach Thompson he had just won the Los Angeles Junior Golden Gloves title, Coach Thompson thought Andy might just be the best boxer in the camp.
It didn't take long for Andy to be recognized as the best boxer in the camp, and it was okay with the rest of the team. It had to be since Coach Thompson and Savala didn't allow any egos to be displayed.
After training for a month, the team was ready to take on the crew from Clear Lake.
The fights were held at the Preston camp gym, "The Barn," as it was known. There were 10 fights on the card. The Preston top boys were bantamweight Eddie Davis, lightweight Ruben Campos, middleweight Allen Shaw, and flyweight Andy Madrid. Andy's fight was the main event.
Eddie Davis and Ruben Campos won their fights by 4 round decisions, and Allen Shaw lost on a second-round T.K.O. The teams standing at this point were Clear Lake, with five wins, and Preston, with four wins. Andy needed to win his fight so that Preston could break even.
Andy was matched with Billy Logan, a black kid from Oakland, California. Since arriving at Clear Lake two years before, Logan had had seven fights, winning five and losing two; nobody knew how many fights he had before arriving at Clear Lake. Andy had eleven fights, winning all but one, his first fight, which he lost by decision.
Billy Logan was the first one in the ring. As Andy made his way into the ring, he looked at Logan's corner as Logan was on his toes and jabbing at the air with his left hand, and the first thought that came into his mind was, 'Is that Sugar Ray Robinson?'
Billy Logan was looking at Andy and thinking, 'Why are they putting this kid in with me? He looks to be all of ten years old,' which is what most of Andy's past opponents would think when they would lay eyes on baby face Andy for the first time.
Referee Ernie Johnson called the boxers to the center of the ring for their instructions; as Johnson was giving his instructions, Logan looked at Andy's eyes and saw something that he had never seen in any opponent's eyes before, he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he knew that this baby face kid was going to give him a fight.
As the first round began, Logan moved to his left, pumping his jab, and Andy moved to his right, trying to cut the ring off on him. Andy blocked a jab and countered with a right that hurt Logan, but Logan came back to land a beautiful left hook. The rest of the round had the crowd screaming as the two boys fought on even terms, with both scoring some good shots.
The second round went the same as the first one. In the third round, Andy begins hurting Logan with hooks and uppercuts; near the end, Logan is gassed, and his corner wisely stops the fight. With Andy's win, the two teams broke even in wins.
In the dressing room, Coach Thompson said to Coach Savala: "this kid is the coolest kid under fire that I have seen in many years. If he stays clean once he is out of here, he will be a world champion when he gets older, no doubt about it, Rudy".
"I agree. I wish we could be with him when he turns eighteen. I always wanted to train a champion, and this kid has all the tools to be one," said Coach Savala
Going to school, working, and boxing helped Andy's two years go by fast. Andy was released on his 15th birthday. Coach Thompson and Savala drove him to the Greyhound depot in downtown Preston. The coaches gave Andy a big hug and told him to stay clean so that he could become a champion. He told them he would remain clean, become champion, and want both to be there when he won the title.
Chapter Six
Andy arrived at the Greyhound depot in the City of Angels at 3:00 AM. Since it was Sunday, he had to wait till 6 for the buses to start running so he could get home in East Los Angeles.
Andy found a bench to nap while he waited. An old man sat beside him and rubbed his leg as he lay down. Andy jumped up, yelling, "Get away from me, you fag!" and chased him out of the depot and down Main Street but lost him when the old man ran into an alley. 'Dirty old man,' thought Andy as he returned to the depot to wait for a bus.
Andy got off the bus at the corner of Whittier Blvd and Kern Ave and walked the three blocks to his home on Arizona Ave, where his mom was waiting for him.
"Mijo, you're home! I'm so glad to see you, Mijo!" said Andy's mom, Lupe, as she hugged Andy.
"Mom, I'm sorry for all the pain I have caused you; I promise to make it up to you. I'm going back to the gym, and as soon as I turn eighteen, I'm going to turn pro and make enough money so that you don't have to be cleaning any more railroad cars," Andy said to his mom as he laid his head on her shoulder and cried.
"Don't worry about me, Mijo; I'll be fine. Just take care of yourself and stay out of trouble!" Lupe sternly said to her son.
"I'll stay out of trouble, Mom, don't worry."
The following Monday, Andy and his mom rode the streetcar to Boyle Heights to register Andy at Andrew Jackson High School, a high school for trouble boys. Andy was told that he could start school the following Monday.
Chapter Seven
The following Tuesday, Andy arrived at the Teamsters Gym by streetcar, ready to get in shape for what he thought was his and his mom's way out of the barrio.
"Joe, where is Art?" Andy asked the gym's doorman, Joe Kelly
"You'll find him down in the basement fixing the showers."
Andy found Art inside a shower stall working on a water faucet.
"Hi Art, I'm back and ready to start training so I can fight," Andy said to Art as Art was turning a wrench on the water faucet.
Art dropped what he was doing, exited the shower stall, and hugged Andy.
"Andy! When did you get back? Art asked Andy
"A couple of days ago, I thought I could get in shape and fight in the amateurs?"
"Yes, you can get in shape, but I don't think you're old enough to fight in the amateurs; you have to fight in the smokers till you turn sixteen," Art said to Andy.
"No, Art, I want to fight in the amateurs; I can fight at the South Gate Arena and Eastside Arena, where they give out wristwatches to the best fighter of the night; if I can win some, I can then sell them and make a few bucks, Art, I need money!"
"Hey, Art, have you seen Gil Garcia?' Andy asked Art
"Yes, he has been training and fighting. He won the Junior Golden Gloves this year and got his amateur license. Gil will be fighting at South Gate on Friday night; why don't you come and see him fight?"
"I will be there if I can get a ride."
While riding the streetcar back to East L.A., Andy thought about who to drive him to the South Gate Arena on Friday. He didn't mind riding the streetcar or bus to get there, but he didn't want to hang them back home late at night; too many crazy guys out late at night, he thought.
Manuel Castillo was traveling west on Whittier Blvd on his 1948 Chevy low rider when he spotted Andy getting off the streetcar at the streetcar end of the line across from the Calvary cemetery at Eastern and Whittier Blvd. Manuel made a U-turn and pulled up to Andy.
"Need a ride, Andy?" asked Manuel.
"Sure, Manuel, I could use a ride home," said Andy as he opened the car door and jumped in.
"So, what have you been doing lately?' Manuel asked Andy as they drove east on Whittier Blvd.
"I've been busy since I returned home a few days ago. Register at Jackson High and will start school on Monday. Right now, I am just coming back from the Teamsters Gym. I was talking to Art Chavez about getting back to boxing, and he said anytime that I am ready, he will work with me. Art told me my friend Gil Garcia is fighting Friday night at the South Gate Arena. By the way, Manuel, what're ye doing Friday?"
"Not much that I know of. Got something in mind?" Manuel asked Andy
"Well, we could go see Gil fight; I Gil think would like some support from some E.L.A. friends," replied Andy as Manuel pulled up to Andy's house on Arizona Avenue.
"That's a great idea; what time do I pick you up?
"Well, the fights start at 7:30 PM. How about picking me up at 6:00 PM?" Replied Andy.
"Okay, see you at 6 on Friday."
The following Wednesday, Andy rode the bus and the streetcar to the Teamsters Gym and started working out to get back in boxing shape. When he was not in the gym, he was looking for Sally Torres, but to no avail.
Late Friday afternoon, Andy got dressed in tan slacks, a brown shirt, and a brand new pair of Florsheim Cordovan shoes that his mother Lupe had bought. He looked in the mirror and was pleased with what he saw. A little dash of Old Spice Cologne and baby face was ready.
Manuel Castillo pulled up in front of Andy's house a little before 6 and honked the horn as Andy came out the door. Walking behind Andy was Lupe telling her son to be careful. Andy stopped and turned around, kissed his mom on the cheek, and told her not to worry and that he would be okay.
As Andy jumped in Manuel's 1948 Chevy Low Rider, Manuel said, "Wow! Dude, you're looking sharp; where are you going? Are you going to have your picture taken?"
"No picture, Manuel; I just like to look as good as possible."
They drove east on Whittier Blvd to Atlantic Avenue, turned south on Atlantic, and soon were in South Gate. They found a parking spot to park the low rider where it was in plain view, which they hoped would make it harder for the local vatos to steal it.
As Andy and Manuel entered the old arena, Andy spotted two girls at the snack bar. He locked eyes with the taller of the two who were facing him. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place her. While the shorter girl was turning to meet him, one thought came to him: 'statuesque in miniature.' When her face came into full view, and Andy recognized Sally Torres, his heart started beating so hard that he thought it would fly through his chest.
Sally was the first one to make a move. She walked up to Andy and said, "You remember me?"
"Of course I do; I have been looking forward to seeing you since I returned home. By the way, is Emily, Gil's girlfriend, with you?
"That's her, she pretty, huh?" replied Sally
"Yes, she is, but let's talk about you," Andy told Sally. While Manuel and Emily sat in the second ringside row, Andy and Sally found some seats away from the small crowd about nine rows back from the ringside. Andy let Sally do most of the talking. She told him that she was now attending Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights as a freshman and that she had an after-school job just down the avenue from the high school at a shoe store on the corner of Soto Ave and First St. When Sally stopped talking Andy took that as a cue that it was time for him to tell her something about him. Andy told Sally all about the night two years ago when he and Gil left the church dance, and he got busted. He talked about how he made the best of his time in Preston by boxing for the camp's boxing team. But now that he was back home, he was returning to school, staying in the gym, and getting his amateur boxing career back on track, hoping to turn pro soon.
"Andy, how old are ya? About fifteen?, I don't know much about boxing, but I do know that you have to be eighteen before you can get a professional boxing license; at least, that's what Gil has said," Sally said to Andy
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